With six properties, the SilverOaks group is believed to be the second largest privately-owned portfolio of large accommodation providers in New Zealand after the Scenic Circle group (17 hotels).

The owners are selling-up to retire after 40 years in the hospitality industry.

If these properties were on a Monopoly board, they would offer a similar attraction to purchasing the set of Whitechapel Road and Old Kent Road. Comments from property agents Bayleys are not overstating the sales proposition:

"...most of the hotels were in a fairly 'tired' stage of their lives and varying degrees of investment would be needed to restore them to former glories as well as modern interior décor - in the bedrooms and communal areas....the vendors' price expectations would reflect this."

"In her revealing post she rattles off a shopping list of the hotel's inadequacies including a smelly room, a tap that wouldn't turn off, a moldy bathroom, missing TV remotes, no milk or cups, no minibar and a suspicion that that the bed linen may not have been changed since the last hapless occupant. Ewww!"

Hopefully a buyer can be found that can direct either a bulldozer or substantial refurbishment dollars at the portfolio.

"When I look at the ocean, I feel the greatness of man, I think of man's magnificent capacity that created this ship to conquer all that senseless space. When I look at mountain peaks, I think of tunnels and dynamite. When I look at the planets, I think of airplanes." - Ayn Rand 1943